Report: Houston homeless count almost half from 4 years ago

Social worker Harry Low shines his flashlight under the Elysian Street bridge looking for the homeless with a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Social worker Harry Low shines his flashlight under the Elysian Street bridge looking for the homeless with a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 2 of 16

Social worker Kenisha Reaux shines her light into the brush near Buffalo Bayou looking for street people as she and a team of other social workers from the Veterans Affairs Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census. less

Social worker Kenisha Reaux shines her light into the brush near Buffalo Bayou looking for street people as she and a team of other social workers from the Veterans Affairs Hospital walked downtown during the ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

Image 3 of 16

Veteran volunteer Steve Madueno, and social worker Britney Williams shine their flashlights into the hedges around Buffalo Bayou, as they and a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Veteran volunteer Steve Madueno, and social worker Britney Williams shine their flashlights into the hedges around Buffalo Bayou, as they and a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 4 of 16

Social workers Harry Low and Kenisha Reaux shine their light into a culvert looking for the homeless, as they and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Social workers Harry Low and Kenisha Reaux shine their light into a culvert looking for the homeless, as they and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 5 of 16

A team of social workers from the VA hospital fill out paperwork on several homeless men on Commerce at San Jacinto Streets as they worked the streets downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

A team of social workers from the VA hospital fill out paperwork on several homeless men on Commerce at San Jacinto Streets as they worked the streets downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 6 of 16

Social worker Harry Low shines his flashlight under the Elysian Street bridge looking for the homeless with a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Social worker Harry Low shines his flashlight under the Elysian Street bridge looking for the homeless with a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 7 of 16

Social workers Britney Williams, left, and Kenisha Reaux, chat with a homeless man along with a team of social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Social workers Britney Williams, left, and Kenisha Reaux, chat with a homeless man along with a team of social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 8 of 16

Luis Paulino, the Homeless Director with the VA Hospital walks cross the I-45 bridge heading into downtown as he and his team of other social workers from the VA Hospital started out on their search for the homeless downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Luis Paulino, the Homeless Director with the VA Hospital walks cross the I-45 bridge heading into downtown as he and his team of other social workers from the VA Hospital started out on their search for the ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 9 of 16

Veteran volunteer Steve Madueno, and social worker Britney Williams talk with Donna Reynolds, who is homeless, as they and a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Veteran volunteer Steve Madueno, and social worker Britney Williams talk with Donna Reynolds, who is homeless, as they and a team of other social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 10 of 16

Luis Paulino, the Homeless Director with the VA Hospital, left, sits with a homeless man as he and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Luis Paulino, the Homeless Director with the VA Hospital, left, sits with a homeless man as he and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 11 of 16

Steve Madueno, a veteran volunteer along with a team of social workers from the VA hospital shines his flashlight down into the Buffalo Bayou as he walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Steve Madueno, a veteran volunteer along with a team of social workers from the VA hospital shines his flashlight down into the Buffalo Bayou as he walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 12 of 16

Harry Low and Kenisha Reaux talk with a homeless man as they and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston.

Harry Low and Kenisha Reaux talk with a homeless man as they and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 13 of 16

Britney Williams along with a team of social workers from the VA hospital shine their flashlights down into the Buffalo Bayou as he walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Britney Williams along with a team of social workers from the VA hospital shine their flashlights down into the Buffalo Bayou as he walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 14 of 16

Social workers Harry Low and Kenisha Reaux talk with a homeless woman living under the Travis Street Bridge near UH Downtown as they and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Social workers Harry Low and Kenisha Reaux talk with a homeless woman living under the Travis Street Bridge near UH Downtown as they and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 15 of 16

A shadow is cast on a pile of clothes and other items indicating a homeless person lived in the area, as a team of social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

A shadow is cast on a pile of clothes and other items indicating a homeless person lived in the area, as a team of social workers from the VA hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 16 of 16

Social worker Kenisha Reaux goes over her paperwork with the Houston skyline in the background, near UH Downtown as she and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual homeless census, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Houston. less

Social worker Kenisha Reaux goes over her paperwork with the Houston skyline in the background, near UH Downtown as she and a team of other social workers from the VA Hospital walked downtown during the annual ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Report: Houston homeless count almost half from 4 years ago

1 / 16

Back to Gallery

The number of homeless people in Harris and Fort Bend counties has been cut nearly in half from four years ago, officials with local social service agencies said Wednesday, adding that the drop is an indication that programs designed to help the homeless are working.

The decrease is documented in a report from the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County. The report, released on Wednesday and based on a count on Jan. 29, recorded a 46 percent drop in homelessness on any given night compared with 2011. This year, the count recorded 4,609 people on the street or in shelters; in 2011, the count was 8,538.

"It's incredible," said Marilyn Brown, president and chief executive officer of the Coalition for the Homeless. "… When we see the result, that the number of homeless has been cut in half, we see we've gone from managing homelessness to ending it."

Federal housing officials require the census be performed every year for agencies to receive federal funding.

The one-night count isn't precise, but advocates say it gives them a sense of how many Houstonians are homeless at one point in time and helps track how the city is doing in meeting ambitious federal goals set in 2010 to combat homelessness. Houston's annual survey sends counters out in cars and on foot on the streets and shelters across Harris County, Houston and Fort Bend County. Federal officials said they wanted to stamp out veteran homelessness and chronic homelessness by the end of 2015.

Federal housing officials define chronically homeless as someone who has been homeless for at least a year or has had four episodes of homelessness over a three-year period and has a disabling physical or mental condition.

Related

About 42 percent of the 4,609 people counted - or 1,950 people - did not live in any shelter, according to the survey. That compared with 4,418 in 2011.

The news comes just days after city officials announced they had housing available for any veteran in the region who becomes homeless.

This year's count found 563 veterans who were homeless, a 17 percent drop from 2014. Since the count, officials say they have housed hundreds of those veterans and acknowledge that while new veterans may fall into homelessness, the city and county have the resources to house them.

Brown said she and city officials believe they will be able to meet the federal goal to end chronic homelessness by the end of the year, even as the federal government has extended that deadline to the end of 2017.

The next goal - which federal officials have set a 2020 deadline - would be ending family and youth homelessness.

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

Advocates expect to be able to meet those goals too, Brown said.

"The success driving those numbers down proves that as a community, we can end homelessness in our region," said Tom McCasland, CEO of the Harris County Housing Authority. "We're making progress. We're moving the needle in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go."

McCasland said the battle against homelessness will remain an issue for the city's next mayor.

"It's a complex issue, and it's going to take the community pulling together solve it," he said.